Love Always

Despite interesting characters and situations, "Love Always" tends to shout its intentions from the rooftops. Jude Pauline Eberhard's directorial debut presents Julia (Marisa Ryan), a young woman trying to return to her Spokane-based sweetheart (Michael Reilly Burke) after six months in San Diego living with a friend (Moon Zappa).
Hitchhiking north, she finds herself going in various unplanned directions instead. Julia encounters a speed-freak (Doug Hutchinson), a woman who crafts gigantic ceramic cows (Beth Grant), an all-chick rock band called the Virgin Sluts, the amorous Mac (Jerry O'Donnell), an AWOL Marine (Aaron Kuhr) and a sensitive photographer (Tracy Fraim), before finally experiencing a bit of instant karma back in Washington.
Ryan has an effective screen persona that some of her fellow performers lack, but the story by Eberhart and Sharlene Baker opts for several subplots that go nowhere. In the cameo-for-cameo's-sake department, a familiar face appears and disappears before you can say, "Beverly D'Angelo!"
Starring Marisa Ryan, Moon Zappa and Michael Reilly Burke. Directed by Jude Pauline Eberhard. Written by Jude Pauline Eberhart and Sharlene Baker. Produced by Isaac Artenstein. A Legacy release. Drama. Rated R for language and some sexuality. Running time: 93 min. Screened at the Fort Lauderdale fest.